Material handling pallet



A ril 14, 1953 w. F. WEITZEL MATERIAL HANDLING PALLET Filed Oct. 6, 1.948

4/ I I 33 I! I l l4, --'26 INVENTOR WE WE/TZEL ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 14, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'MATERIAL HANDLING PALLET v I I William F. Weit zel, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of -New York Application October 6, 1948, Serial No. 53;024

This invention relates to material handling pallets, and more particularly to pallets adapted to be stacked or otherwise handled by industrial fork lift trucks.

Pallets generally are used to enable industrial fork trucks to lift, store, handle and transport a plurality of articles or packages in a manufacturing plant. Storing loaded pallets in stacks or tiers usually requires double-faced pallets having top and bottom decks so as to maintain perpendicular stacks or tiers. v

In order to use an industrial lift fork truck having load-bearing wheels positioned directly under the load to be lifted, the present type of doublefaced pallets makes it necessary for the structure carrying the load wheels to straddle the pallet, in which case, the structure on which the loadbearing wheels are mounted is substantially wider than the main body of the truck. It is desirable to have the structure carrying the load-bearing wheels'about the same width as the body of the truck to obtain maximum maneuverability of the truck in its travel about the factory floor.

An object'of the invention is to provide new and improved material handling pallets.

Another objectof the invention is to provide new and improved double-faced pallets capable of being used with industrial fork trucks having load bearing wheels positioned under the load.

A pallet embodying certain featuresof'the in- 'vention comprises a top deck on which the material to be handled is positioned and a bottom deck parallel to the top deck and having longitudinal passageways therein to receive the load-bearing wheels of a fork truck.

A clear understanding of the invention may be had from the following detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an industrial fork truck positioned in operating relationship with a pallet embodying the invention;

: .Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a pallet con structed in accordance with the invention;

: Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, sectional view' taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and 1 Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, horizontal section taken along line 4-t of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing and more par ticularly to Fig. 1, there is shown a pallet I I], which comprises a channel-shaped member I I formed from corrugated sheet metal to provide a corrugated upper deck' I2 having marginal legs 1| 3-! extending downwardly therefrom. A channel-shaped member I5, formed from cor- I 4 Claims. (01; 248-120) rugated sheet metal to provide a lower decksurface l6 having marginal legs II-I'I of equal length extending upwardly therefrom to engage the under surface .of the upper deck I2. The width of the lower member I5 is substantially less than that of the upper member II, and the lower member I5 is centrally positioned beneath the upper member I2 which'leaves a longitudinal opening between each pair of'adjacent legs I3 with an upper horizontal leg 2| engaging the under side of the upper deck I2 and the end of the adjacent leg I7. Cutouts Ill-I9 are provided in the horizontal leg' 2! to receive the corrugations of the deck I2. The lower horizontal legs 22-22 of the 2 members 29 -20 lie in the same horizontal plane as the lower deck I6, and have an upturned flange 23'formed-integrally therewith which engages the lower'end of the adjacent leg I3'of the "upper member. The leg 22 and the flange 23 of each of the members zit--26, serve to enclose the bottom edges of the legs I3- -I3 and thereby-preventth'e' edges from injuring persons handling the pallet I 6. The Z members 20'20 are'welded to the upper member I'! along the flange 23 andto the under'surface of the upper deck I 2 along the horizontal leg 2|. In addition to these surfaces which are welded together, it may be desired to weld all "other surfaces of the members that are in engagement which are accessible to the welding rod, electrode, or the like. I

' The upper member I I (Fig. 3) is formed so that its corrugations extend downwardly toward the lower member from the deck surface I 2, while the lower member I5 is'formed so that its corrugations extend upwardly toward the upper member from its deck surface It, as shown in 'Fig. 3. The cutout I8I8 in the legs II-I'I and the cutouts "IS-I9 in the upper horizontal le s 2I--2I of the 2 members 20-40 permit the legs in each case, to engage the fiat portions of the upper member II. I Since the legs l'l-I'I of the lower member are of equal length, and

since the lower horizontal portion of the Z members lie inthe same plane as the lower deck I6,

.rmast 3 l.

S the deck [6 and legs 22-22 all are parallel to the upper deck l2,

The lower member I (Fig. 2) and the Z members -20 are designed to fit on the upper member II to form longitudinal passageways 24-24 equidistantly positioned astride the central axis of the pallet i0 and an opening 25 between the upper and'lower :deck members'and intermediate the passageways 24-24. If desired, a channel 26 may be welded in position in the opening 25 between the upper deck [2 and the lower deck 4'6 and equidistantly between the -;passageways 24-24 for the purpose of supporting the central portion of the upper deck tZ whereby the pallet I0 is capable of supporting heavyloads. .This type i of construction produce what is commonly "referred to as a double-face pallet which isiused generally to store articles, such as the articles 26-26, in stacks, such as the stack indicatedgenerally at 21 (Fig. 1). There is shown in Fig. 1 a particular type of industrial :lift :fork :truck :in-

Idicated generally at 30, which may be used for flitting and 'transportingspallets, 25112113375 the 511311- le't l0, loaded :with a plurality of 'articlesiandior storingithe articles iirstacks, suchsaathestackizl.

Thegeneralconstruction and operation aofsindus- :trial trucks of this type :are 'welleknown, hence the truckz30 willbedescribedionlyin so farras itis necessary to illustrate'clearly :certain features of the present invention. 7

; The truck130 (Fig. 1 isiprovided vwithavertical mast 31 secured to-one end of a structural body 32. Apair 'ofiorks 33-33 are secured to :a I carriage 34; which is slidably positioned on the A swivel 'wheel 31 is provided =0n the other end of the body 32 of the truck, and is arranged to be controlled .by a handle 38 so as to guide the .truck-inits path of travel. A;.pair

of arms 40-40 aresecured to the hodys32 of the truck adjacent to the mast 31 and :extend'forwardly therefrom. A load bearing wheel :4! is suitably mounted in a shearing provided on the "endof each vzarm iil. TIhewheels =4 l- H *are relatively-small-indiameter so that eacharm-All and itszrespective wheel 4| maybe positioned under a pallet'on which alpluralityof articlesrest. The arms 40-40 on which the load-bearing wheels 41- are mounted .=.are flush with the sides of the body 32 of the truck so that the :truckzhas a uniform width throughout its entire length.

N By mounting the load-ebea-ring wheels ll-4i of the truck 30 on the ends oi their respective forwardly, extending arms 40-40, the load napa'city of trucks like the truck 30 increased approximately 100% over the load capacity of conventional types of industrial trucks which have their load-bearing wheels mounteddirectly under the vertical mast, like the mast 3:! of the truck 30. However, the-arrangement-of the loadbearing wheels of the truck30 prevents itsuse with conventional double-faced pallets, unless the pallet is of such width that the arms 40-40 can straddle it. Under such conditions, the load .that could :be carried on such a narrow pallet would prevent the utilization of the maximum load capacity of the truck.

' The double-faced pallet '10, shown in Fig. 12',

was designed primarily for use with industrial fork trucks like the truck 30 so that the arms "140-40 and the wheels 4l-4l maybe positioned in *the passageways 24-24, under the top deck of the pallet and yet not interfere with the liftiiig of'the pallet when the forks 33-33 are raised.

-1'n using pallets, likethe pallet f0, for-purposes of transportinga plurality of..articlc 26 26 by means of the fork lift truck 30 and more particularly for storing a plurality of articles in a stack '21, the pallet I0 is placed on the factory floor and loaded with a suitable number of articles 26-26, which are indicated as group A. The truck 30 then is positioned in front of the pallet It so that the arms 40-40, which carry the wheelsi l-4' i aresin line 'theiopenings 24-2 4 of the pallet. "The truck 30 is moved toward the pallet to cause the wheels 4l-4i and the arms 40-40 to enter their respective passageways 26-24 -(-Figs. l and 4) and the forks 33-33 enter the opening 25 between the upper member 5! I flandfthelower member l5 so that they straddle the central channel 26.

"The power means provided on the truck is then sactuatedtoraisethe forks 33-33 (Fig. 1) which, in so doing, engage the under side of the upper deck 42 and lift the pallet l0 and group A of articles 26-26 positioned thereon off the factory floor. The truck 3! then driven to thelpoint at "which the 2A articles are to be stored and the operating mechanism .ior the :fork is actuated to lower the loaded pallet It to =-theficor'. This disposition of the group A :articlcs onBthe factory :fioor is the initial step'o'n the formation of the stack 21. The truck 35 picks up a second pallet 10 loadedwith articles 26-26, designated as group B, and deposits them "on top of group A, in the further-formation of stack-'21.. '2} third pallet loaded with articles 26-26, which are designated group C (Fig. 1), is pickediup by the truck .in the same manner and deposited .on -the group B of the stack '21. In depositing articlegroups B and C successively on the stack 21, the load-bearing 'wheels'andarms of the truck are run in the passageways :2-4-24 rof the bottom pallet 10.

It may be desirable in some cases, where the Weight-of thearticl'es being handled :p'ermits it, to carry several loaded 'palletsnn the truck-: 1; 'aitime. .Inwhich case, asecondpall'et i0 'isipl'aced on top of the group A articles iii-'26 loaded onthe bottom pallet and loaded with .a predetermined number of the articles ."2'6-23, such as those which have been designated as the :group B articles :of stack 21 (Fig. 1) 1 The truck 30 may be positioned :so that the forks 33-33 engage the pallet 'm carrying the group A articles in the .manner described hereinabove. When the forks are raised, group A and fB articles are lifted from theafiocr and thereafter .may be transported together to' the storage point and deposited lto .form a portion of the stack 21. In either case, the pallet; llbby being a double-faced pallet having theapassageways 26-25 adjacent to the longitudinal extreme ities of the lower deck thereof, permits the. use of fork trucks like the truck .30, and at 'thesame time permits storage of articles in stacks, :such as the stack 21. i

While the pallet 210 :has been described as'being adapted particularly for use with industrial fork trucks rhavingload-bearing wheels positioned directly undertheload, the pallet may be used with other types of industrial fork trucks'such as the conventional counter-weight type :of .fork truck, and for all purposes where either singlefaced. or double-faced pallets "are required;

It is to be understood that while the pallet in has been described in the preferred embodiment of the invention as being formed from corrugated metal sheets, various portions thereof could-be formedfromifiat'metal sheets to produce a pallet capable of supporting heavyloads, or the entire pallet could be fabricated from wood without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A pallet for use with fork lift trucks having load-bearing wheels positioned under the lifting forks, which comprises an upper deck member having longitudinally extending marginal flanges projecting perpendicularly downward therefrom, a lower deck member having longitudinally extending marginal flanges projecting perpendicularly upwardly therefrom and secured to the upper deck member so that the portion between its marginal flanges is spacedly positioned parallel to said upper deck, said bottom deck being substantially narrower than the upper deck and centrally positioned so that it forms a longitudinal groove between its marginal flanges and the corresponding flanges of the upper deck, and a pair of Z member-s, one secured to each marginal flange of the upper deck members so as to form a longitudinal passageway between the Z member and the adjacent marginal flange of the lower deck, said longitudinal passageways being designed to receive the load-bearing wheels of the truck when the forks of the truck are positioned between the upper and lower deck members.

2. A pallet for use with fork lift trucks having load-bearing wheels positioned under the lifting forks, which comprises a channel-shaped upper member having the long side thereof positioned horizontally to form a horizontal upper deck of the pallet and having its marginal flanges extending vertically downwardly, a channel-shaped lower member secured in an inverted position inside the vertical flanges of the upper memher so that its flat portion is spacedly positioned parallel to the horizontal deck of said upper member, and a Z member positioned adjacent to each vertical flange of the upper member so as to form a longitudinal passageway between the vertical flange of the lower member and the 2 member, said 2 members having upturned flanges provided along one side thereof which engages the outer surface of the vertical flanges of the upper channel-shaped member, whereby the upper and lower members form a rigid, double-faced pallet having a longitudinal passageway at each extremity of the lower deck for receiving the load-bearing wheels of the truck.

3. A pallet for use with fork lift trucks having load-bearing wheels positioned under the lifting forks, which comprises a channel-shaped upper member having the long side thereof positioned horizontally to form the upper deck of the pallet and having its perpendicular marginal flanges extending downwardly therefrom, a channel-shaped lower member secured in an inverted position inside the vertical flanges of the upper member so that its long side is spacedly positioned parallel to the horizontal side of said upper member, a 2 member positioned adjacent to each flange of the upper member so that it forms a longitudinal passageway between the vertical flange of the lower member and the said Z member, said Z members having an upturned flange provided along one side thereof which engages the outer surface of the adjacent vertical flange of the upper member, and a channel-shaped bracing member positioned equidistantly between said passageways so as to engage the parallel portions of the upper and lower deck members.

4. A double-faced pallet for use with industrial fork lift trucks having load-bearing wheels positioned under their load engaging forks, which comprises an upper deck member formed of corrugated metal to provide a rectangular top deck having perpendicular flanges formed integrally therewith and extending downwardly therefrom, a bottom deck member formed of corrugated metal so as to provide a rectangular lower deck having perpendicular flanges formed integrally therewith, said bottom deck member secured to the upper member in an inverted position between the flanges of the upper member, whereby the flanges thereof engage the upper deck and spacedly position the lower deck parallel to the upper deck member, said lower channel-shaped member being substantially narrower than said upper member and centrally positioned between the marginal flanges thereof so as to form an elongated opening between each flange of the lower deck and the adjacent flange of the upper deck, a 2 member positioned in each opening so that the parallel flanges thereof engage the upper deck member and the edge of the marginal flanges thereof, respectively, said Z members forming longitudinal passageways between the flanges of the lower members and the said Z members, the lower horizontal flange of each Z member being in the same plane as that of the lower deck and having an upturned flange formed thereon which engages the outer surface of the adjacent flange of the upper member, and a channel-shaped member positioned equidistantly between said longitudinal passageways for supporting the portion of the upper deck between said passageways, whereby when such a lift truck is positioned to pick up the pallet, the forks enter the opening between the upper and lower decks and the load-bearing wheels enter the longitudinal passageways adjacent to the lower deck.

WILLIAM F. WEITZEL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,306,752 Riemenschneider Dec. 29, 1942 2,446,914 Fallert et a1 Aug. 10, 1943 2,479,728 Darling Aug. 23, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 568,923 Great Britain Apr. 26, 1945 

